novelraw Chapter 123: Internal strife in the opening game of the new season?
Chapter 123: Internal strife in the opening game of the new season?
Chapter 123: Internal strife in the opening game of the new season?
"Do I need you to teach me?" Jordan stared wide-eyed at Lin Tian and said, "I run when I want to run, I grab rebounds when I want to grab rebounds, it's none of your business!"
"It's none of my business!" Lin Qi got angry, stopped dribbling the ball, and held it out with one hand, saying, "Then get off the court! I'm the point guard, I call the shots on the court. If you don't like it, you play point guard, and I'll take care of the scoring!"
"You earn 3000 million a year, all you do is attack and not defend, you only think about fast breaks and don't get back on defense or grab rebounds, do you think you are... no, look at Ewing! He earns 300 million a year and still works hard and is very responsible!" Ewing was unhappy as soon as Lin Tian finished speaking.
No, what do I care about your infighting? Why are you dragging me into this?
I'm willing to take 300 million a year, what's it to you?
"That's because Ewing is stupid! He's an idiot! He deserves to only get $300 million! Did I make him take $300 million? Did I force him to sign the contract?" Jordan continued to retaliate.
"Aren't you afraid of having a son without an anus if you say that? Patrick didn't sign with you just to play basketball with you..."
Lin Tian's words suddenly stopped there.
The referees on the sidelines noticed something was wrong and were about to step in to stop the conflict from escalating. Since the referees had noticed the unusual situation on the court, the Knicks players naturally noticed it too, but they simply didn't want to get involved.
This is a case of teammates directly fighting and arguing on the court! Such a scene is quite rare! Larry Jensen even tried to stop the referee, not wanting the referee to interfere with this historic moment.
But just then, as Lin Tian abruptly stopped speaking, and everyone wanted to hear what he had to say, Lin Tian suddenly threw the ball, and in the opposite direction of their line of sight, he threw it towards the Knicks' basket!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Wennington, who had been forgotten by everyone, slammed home a two-handed alley-oop dunk!
Upon landing, Wennington exclaimed excitedly, "It worked! Lin, that trick worked!"
Did this trick work?
Even the most idiotic Knicks players realized they'd been tricked by Lin Tian and Jordan!
These two aren't having a conflict, this is a damn tactic!
What kind of lunatic would use this tactic on the court?
And their acting is so realistic? The two of them almost came to blows just now!
Regarding the near-fight, Lin Tian confirmed that it had indeed happened. He explained that his criticism of Jordan was entirely genuine and heartfelt, without any pretense.
"You're not allowed to use this tactic again!" Jordan said with a sullen face, as if he had done something shameful.
He declined Lin Tian's offer to high-five him in celebration.
shame!
That's so damn shameful!
Everyone calls me the God of Basketball, but I actually followed this little bastard and played such low-level tactics?
One last time!
This must be the last time!
Yeah, it actually felt pretty good when I was criticizing Ewing earlier.
"You two, if you do this again, I'll call a technical foul on you!" The referee warned Lin Tian and Jordan.
Just kidding, my heart was beating twice as fast just now!
Are you trying to scare me to death?
The opening game features two stars from one of the league's most popular teams. If you two start fighting here, what about my year-end bonus? Is the very first game of the new season going to disqualify me from all performance reviews and awards for the year?
Vicious! This tactic is absolutely vicious! We must never let them use it again; it's terrifying!
After being warned by both the referee and Jordan, Lin Tian had no choice but to spread his hands to indicate that he would not use this trick again. Then... Lin Tian decided to apologize.
"Patrick! Sorry! I didn't mean to reopen old wounds! I meant no harm! Neither did Michael. It's not shameful or stupid of you to ask for 1800 million instead of 300 million to strengthen the team! Really, not stupid at all!"
"Believe me, you're incredibly smart!"
"Can you shut up! FUXX! You damn shit, can you shut up!" Ewing was completely enraged by Lin, and he opened his mouth with a string of profanities, and then made an even more aggressive positioning, once again forcing a one-on-one attack under the basket!
He wanted to vent all his energy and frustration; he wanted to wash away his shame and displeasure with a powerful, heavy dunk!
"Whoosh!"
With a turn so fast he could hardly believe it himself, Ewing left Winnington behind. Then, gathering all his strength, Ewing leaped high into the air and crashed down!
With a loud "Boom!", the entire basketball hoop was pulled so hard by Ewing that it seemed about to collapse completely!
"Roar! Roar! Roar!" While pulling on the rim, he roared excitedly, expressing his anger and joy to the fullest!
Awesome! So awesome!
If that Chinese brat dares to utter another word, I'll...
Huh? Where's the Chinese kid?
Ewing suddenly realized that there was no one left in the Bulls' half of the court.
He quickly landed and turned around, wanting to get back on defense, but was surprised to find that Lin Tian had already driven to the Knicks' three-point line. He used a crossover, an attack step, a small forward hop, and suddenly pulled the ball up and changed direction in front of his body!
Lin Tian unleashed his signature move from the Finals, instantly disorienting Childs and making him unable to keep up with Lin Tian's speed, allowing him to penetrate deep into the Knicks' territory.
Although Oakley quickly blocked Lin Tian's path, Lin Tian sprinted while observing the situation. Then, he suddenly dribbled between his legs, but the basketball didn't return to Lin Tian's hands. Instead, it went to Pippen, who was following behind him.
With a loud "Boom!", Pippen slammed home a one-handed dunk over Oakley!
The Bulls responded to Ewing's dominance with an equally brutal dunk!
"Why didn't you go help defend the basket? Didn't you ask me to keep an eye on Childs for you?" Jordan muttered to Lin Tian as he returned to defense.
"Are you stupid? Even an idiot could see Patrick was holding back! What if I had gone to help defend and gotten dunked on? Besides, that moron would have been hanging on the rim celebrating anyway, so why not just go on a fast break and score 2 points? Help defend? What a waste of time and energy!"
"Yeah, Patrick, I'm not saying you're an idiot, but the way you hang on the rim is so cool! Seriously, incredibly cool! You can hang there for as long as you want, I don't mind!"
Lin Tian cleverly discovered that Ewing could hear his conversation with Jordan, and immediately offered very thoughtful concern and apology with a forced smile.
"Patrick Ewing's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 50 experience points!"
A loot drop! This gorilla has finally lost his temper!
"Goat! I'm going to beat them to death!"
Ewing once again secured his position in the low post and skillfully called for the ball.
Then, he easily shrugged off Wennington's defense once again, turned to face the basket, and this time Ewing had learned his lesson! Although he was furious, he still glanced ahead and to the side, but Lin Tian was nowhere to be seen. This kid still didn't dare to come to help defend!
Let's deduct another one from him! Let's give him another good time!
Once he was sure no one could help him defend, Ewing first shoved Wennington aside with his shoulder, then jumped up, put his hands behind his head, and prepared to dunk again!
"Snapped!"
Another crisp sound rang out, and a hand pressed down on the basketball on Ewing's head!
This time, the evil hand appeared from behind Ewing!
"Give it to me!" Lin Tian's angry roar suddenly rang out, and Ewing felt that he could no longer control the basketball, which slipped from his grasp.
"Snapped!"
The basketball hit the backboard and bounced off.
Lin Tian, standing behind Ewing, leaped up again with overwhelming force, snatching the basketball in mid-air over Ewing's head!
But that wasn't all. While Lin Tianren was still in the air, he had already passed the basketball!
The powerful core and arm strength erupted at this moment, and even though he had nowhere to get leverage in the air, the basketball still turned into an orange lightning bolt and flew towards the front court.
Jordan received the ball this time. Although Houston got back on defense, in a one-on-one situation in the frontcourt, the person in the league who could defend Jordan probably hasn't even been born yet!
Jordan, despite Houston's defense, steadily moved forward, easily pushed past them, and then slammed home a left-handed dunk for another 2 points!
In the following minutes, the offense and the game situation returned to a stalemate, with both sides trading baskets and engaging in a continuous back-and-forth battle around a difference of about 10 points. Until the end of the first half, the score was still 66-73, with the Bulls temporarily leading by 7 points.
The Knicks couldn't catch up, and the Bulls couldn't pull away, so the outcome of this game remains highly uncertain!
In the first half, Lin Tian had already achieved a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. Not to mention his excellent help defense against Ewing, which resulted in 3 blocks and limited Ewing to only 9 points in the second quarter! Compared to his 18 points in the first quarter, Ewing's performance showed a clear decline.
The Knicks were able to keep the score close thanks to the performance of their two new additions, Larry Johnson and Allan Houston.
Shots, three-pointers, and drives were all converted, which helped the Knicks stabilize the game.
During halftime, Jackson stood in the middle of the locker room, clapped his hands casually, and said, "Guys, the Knicks look much tougher than we thought. Their offensive capabilities have improved significantly this season, and they have more consistent and abundant firepower on offense than last season!"
"Obviously, they feel that they lost to us last season because of their offense, because Ewing couldn't carry the team alone, and because their second-leading scorer, Starks, was too inconsistent. So this year they're desperately trying to strengthen their offense, hoping to overwhelm us on offense!"
"What are your plans to do in this situation?"
"They've improved their offense, so we'll destroy their offense!" Jordan wiped his sweat and looked at his team. "Game time is almost over, it's time to change the pace for the second half. In the third quarter, we'll go all out on defense! We'll stop all their attacks!"
"Destroy their confidence! Destroy the courage they've painstakingly built up over the entire offseason to challenge us! Destroy them! Let their courage vanish! Just like in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals! Crush them!"
"Beat them to a pulp! Beat them to a pulp!"
Amidst the players' enthusiastic shouts, Jackson nodded in satisfaction.
A great team needs a great leader who doesn't need to be close to the players or be friends with everyone on the team.
He can even be withdrawn and hateful, and can be so obsessive that no one likes him.
But he must step up when he needs to, and when the team and his teammates need him, he must be able to stand up and rally everyone together!
The ability to make everyone listen to him and fight with him at the center! This is the core competence a true leader should possess!
In the second half, the two teams switched sides and resumed play!
Right from the start, the Bulls displayed the powerful defensive pressure hidden beneath their dazzling offense!
From halftime, Lin Tian rushed up to closely guard Childs. Although Lin Tian's strength is only B, which is the average level in the entire league, don't misunderstand. His average level is the average level of all players in the paint and outside, not just the average level of the point guard position.
If we only consider point guards, Lin Tian's strength is at least at the A level. Apart from those true powerhouses or guys who have transitioned from shooting guard, there aren't many point guards with better strength than him.
So, Childs thought he could use his body to push Lin Tian aside? That was basically impossible. In addition, Lin Tian's wingspan, size, and mobility were all superior to Childs', making it extremely difficult for Childs to break through Lin Tian's defense.
Just as Childs and Lin Tian were entangled outside the three-point line, Ewing suddenly noticed something was wrong and shouted, "Watch out!"
But before Childs could even see what was going on, Jordan's double team arrived!
Under double-team pressure, Childs had almost no chance to react and was intercepted by Jordan. The Bulls launched another counterattack, and Lin Tian scored a layup to add 2 more points!
This high-pressure defense in this round is just the beginning!
In the next possession, the Bulls really stepped up their defense!
Whether it's Houston, Jason, or Childs, they all have to face the Bulls' three perimeter players' close and tight defense at all times, and they also have to be wary of other players suddenly appearing from all corners to double-team them!
Even if they react quickly enough and pass the ball out in time, the remaining player among the three will quickly intercept it halfway and try to steal it.
Even if they fail to steal the ball, the Bulls' remaining two big men are both defensive tanks. Whether it's Rodman or Longley, they will quickly step up to defend and protect the Bulls' rim, making it impossible for the Knicks to mount an offense!
Of these three, only Lin Tian's defense is still somewhat immature, lacking aggression and relying entirely on his energy and speed to make up for it. The other two are the league's top perimeter defensive powerhouses!
Under this level of targeted and intense defense, the Knicks' offense immediately fell apart, all their tactics failed to materialize, and they became completely disoriented on offense.
Even if they occasionally manage to get the ball to Ewing, as soon as Ewing gets the ball, one or two Bulls players will immediately pounce on him with their long arms outstretched, baring their teeth and looking fierce!
Ewing is not Hakeem Olajuwon. His playmaking ability is something he can only be described as having, but it is definitely not his strength. In addition, his playing style is somewhat soft. Faced with the Bulls' fierce defense and strong double-teaming, Ewing immediately relapsed into his old habits.
Superstition about feel.
He started taking continuous mid-range jump shots.
Well, his efficiency isn't exactly bad, but it's certainly not high either. What the Knicks need right now isn't his sporadic mid-range shots, but rather for him to constantly penetrate the paint, compress the Bulls' defense, disrupt their defensive system, draw double teams, and then pass the ball to the perimeter to activate the Knicks' perimeter combination!
But Ewing clearly couldn't do that.
He doesn't possess particularly outstanding support or passing skills.
Faced with this situation, if it were last season's Knicks, Van Gundy could have raised the team's defensive intensity, turning the game into a stalemate, preventing either side from scoring offensively, and seeing who was more inflexible.
This physical, defensive style of play is a key reason why the Knicks have remained a top team in the Eastern Conference for the past few years.
But this season's Knicks clearly don't have that ability anymore. Several tough players who could defend and fight have left, and although Jason and Houston have good firepower on the offensive end, in terms of defense, the two of them are no match for Harper and Mason!
Of course, there are always trade-offs. While the Knicks' defense couldn't keep up, the offensive capabilities they displayed in the first half of today's game were something the Knicks of previous years didn't possess.
All I can say is that the Bulls' roster was too dreamlike and too extravagant. Jordan and Pippen were both elite-level players with both offensive and defensive prowess, and the other players, Lin Tian, Kukoc, and Kerr, could produce beautiful offenses, while Rodman, Harper, and Longley provided impenetrable defense.
This team has the ability to create a dynasty!
They were born to be kings!
In the third quarter, the game quickly fell completely into the Bulls' control. The Knicks' offense couldn't get going at all. In addition, Van Gundy was not a responsive head coach, and his substitutions and tactical adjustments were clearly inferior to Jackson's.
Just as he was about to improve the defense, Jackson brought in Kukoc and Kerr to strengthen the offense. Just as he was about to make another substitution to try and outscore the Bulls offensively, Jackson brought in Harper and Wennington to solidify the defense...
In this game, not only did the Knicks get completely dominated by the Bulls, but Van Gundy was also relentlessly beaten by Jackson, who hung him from a tree.
The gap between coaches is still too obvious.
Of course, the difference between coaches is only part of the story. Ewing can only attack himself and cannot lead his teammates. His playing style is also too soft. The newcomers, Jason and Houston, are not used to such a tough style of play. Veteran Williams is eager to fight back, but at nearly 40 years old, he is more suited to practicing Tai Chi with Parish of the Bulls than playing basketball.
In the third quarter, the Bulls relied on high-pressure defense, strong-side double-teaming and steals, active team rotations, and double-teaming Ewing to repeatedly stop the Knicks' offense. The Bulls then took advantage of these opportunities to launch counterattacks, executing incredibly beautiful defensive counterattacks!
28: 12!
In the third quarter, the Bulls outscored the Knicks by 16 points! Combined with their lead from the first half, they once again took a 23-point lead in the third quarter!
In the fourth quarter, Jackson did not relax at all, bringing out a lineup of Jordan, Pippen, Lin Tian, Kukoc, and Kerr, a lineup without a traditional center, which was aggressive and offensive. Although the interior defense and rebounding ability dropped significantly when these five players were on the court, Van Gundy did not react at the most critical moment when adjustments were needed!
Instead of bringing Ewing onto the court immediately, he let Ewing rest at his usual pace.
It was this hesitation and slow reaction that prevented him from seizing the only weakness in the Bulls' lineup—
Rebounding and interior defense!
Instead, the Bulls, taking advantage of Ewing's absence, not only completely controlled the boards with just Jordan, Pippen, and Kukoc, but also launched a furious counterattack using their control of the boards and their powerful offensive capabilities!
In just two minutes of the fourth quarter, Lin Tian, Cole, and Kukoc each hit a three-pointer, extending the lead to over 30 points.
At this point, it made no difference whether Ewing played or not, because the Knicks had been completely crushed!
Then, after the starters played for another two minutes, with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, Jackson waved his hand and sent all the starters off the court!
After another spectacular five-up, five-down performance, Jackson announced the end of the competition!
One of the biggest reasons why Jackson's players rarely get injured is that he never kicks someone when they're down or pushes them to the brink.
At this point, even if the Knicks' starters were all there, and even if Ewing started scoring again, it would be a drop in the ocean and wouldn't affect the overall situation.
The Knicks were unable to close the gap to within 20 points, and the Bulls' key players never returned to the court.
Finally, when the final whistle blew, the score was 119-87.
The Bulls defeated the Knicks by 32 points, securing a winning start to the season!
全场比赛，林天拿下19分16次助攻4篮板5盖帽2抢断的超全面数据，乔丹供献全队最高的31分4篮板2助攻，皮蓬13分7篮板4助攻，再加上罗德曼的6分14篮板，公牛队又打出了一场酣畅淋漓的大胜！
What made many in the league even more concerned was that the Bulls played far too easily. Tonight, it felt like they only went all out in the third quarter and completely blown the game out of proportion! The intensity they displayed in the second half made everyone feel that they were just playing around in the first half!
Of course, whether the Bulls are really that strong or just had a breakout night remains to be seen in future games.
After the game, Lin Tian and Jordan accompanied Jackson to the post-game press conference.
Facing the packed media section, Lin Tian immediately spotted a familiar face.
A refined-looking, bespectacled, smiling Eastern face!
Yang Yi!
Lin Tian knew before the match that Su Qun's reporter stationed in the US had arrived in Chicago, but he didn't expect it to be this reporter.
Well, according to Lin Tian's memory, in at most 3 to 5 years, once this guy has grown up, he will betray Su Qun. Not only will he jump ship to "Sports Weekly" to be in charge of the weekly basketball section, but he will also poach several talented reporters and editors from "Basketball Pioneer" newspaper, leaving Su Qun short of manpower.
The two had a very unpleasant falling out over this matter, and didn't speak to each other for several years. There were even rumors that the two had gotten into a fight in the office of Basketball Pioneer, but Lin Tian didn't believe it.
Both of them are sharp-tongued and cunning. If they were to actually fight, wouldn't they write articles to smear each other to death?
I reckon they probably had a fight. One of them said, "I'm all grown up now, I want to fly," and the other said, "Fine, then fly. Why did you destroy my nest?"
Chinese fans have repeatedly teased and probed the two about their relationship, trying to find out the inside story of their falling out.
Unfortunately, both of them, along with all the other parties involved, kept their mouths shut. Apart from the half-true rumors, there was no other reliable information to explain their relationship.
In the past, Lin Tian would have only been curious about how bad things had gotten between the two, and would have casually gossiped about it over tea. But now... Basketball Pioneer Newspaper is practically a Lin family business, so Lin Tian has to take charge. He absolutely cannot let Yang Yi's job-hopping affect the newspaper's sales and editorial capabilities.
Why don't you let him switch jobs?
Trick him into going to a strip club and then film some videos?
Trick him into going to a gay bar, then film some videos?
Try to trick him...
Hiss... No, that's not right!
How could I, Lord Lin, be so insidious and vicious?
Let's just do the first thing, the rest are not allowed! That's a bit too much.
Just as Lin Tian was lost in thought, the press conference officially began. The first reporter called on stood up and asked, "How does it feel, Michael, to play in the first game of the new season and have the fourth championship banner raised?"
"That's alright, I'm used to this kind of thing," Jordan shrugged. "What makes me happier tonight than the championship ceremony is that Patrick can't trash talk me like he did last season! That idiot was yelling '1800:300' at me all year last season. This year, it's my turn!"
Jordan's answer drew laughter from the reporters, and then another reporter stood up and asked, "McClean, what do you think was the biggest reason for tonight's victory?"
"Patrick only takes $300 million, which means his contribution is only one-sixth of last season, so we won the game easily," Jordan continued. Judging from his tone, it's clear that salary is a hurdle Jordan can't overcome!
Jordan would never let Ewing off the hook until he completely humiliated him and broke his defense.
Who told this guy to go on a tirade against Jordan last season, chanting "300:1800" throughout the entire series?
Jordan's pettiness is well-known to the world!
Next, the reporters asked many more questions, 70% of which were about Jordan, only 20% about Lin Tian, and the last 10% were from a few professional and dedicated reporters who asked Jackson.
As time flew by, Yang Yi's arms were getting tired from holding the table up, but no one called on him to ask a question. He was so anxious that he almost wanted to stand on a bench.
As the press conference was about to end, Lin Tian saw that Yang Yi was about to sit on the table. Finally, he stopped pretending not to see him, called on Yang Yi, and asked him to ask a question.
"Lin, it's an honor to ask you a question. You got a double-double and 5 blocks in today's game! How did you manage to do all that? What are your goals for this year? Are there any specific achievements you want to make?"
Faced with the first formal question from his fellow villager, Lin Tian didn't joke with him. Instead, he sat up straight, coughed, and said, "The reason I was able to block Ewing so many times is because Michael told me: Patrick is only making $300 million this year, which is just over a sixth of last year's! Go ahead and block him!"
"Then I went, and then I succeeded repeatedly. What Michael said was actually true!"
Lin Tian brought up the salary joke again, making the reporters and Jordan laugh so hard they almost fell over. It seems he's finally reaping the consequences of his trash-talking last year.
After everyone at the scene had finished laughing, Lin Tian continued, "As for my goal for this season, the team's goal is very simple: to win the championship! For us, not winning the championship is a failure. I don't think there's anything wrong with saying this at the beginning of the season. We are not afraid of being targeted, nor are we afraid of being called arrogant."
"If you don't even have this confidence, you don't deserve to play for the Bulls, and you don't deserve to fight for the championship."
"Another goal, which is my personal goal, is that I hope to be selected as an All-Star and an All-NBA team this season. As for other things, like the MVP, I really want to win them, but I think Michael would be jealous that I'm better than him, so I'll pass on that."
Lin Tian's words drew another burst of laughter from the reporters, while Yang Yi kept scribbling in his notebook. Lin Tian's words were enough for him to write many articles!
In particular, the current Basketball Pioneer could easily be renamed the Chicago Pioneer or the Lin's Basketball News. At least half of their content would be related to Lin Tian and Chicago, so Yang Yi's workload is quite enormous!
He had to break down tonight's interviews and press conference into many articles and send them out in segments to fill the space that the Vanguard newspaper had prepared for him.
Yang Yi is under a lot of pressure right now!
The idea of Yang Yi working as a team reporter in the United States is unprecedented in China. No reporter has ever been able to cover a team for an entire season before. Therefore, Yang Yi must have put in a lot of effort to stand out from the large group of reporters at Basketball Pioneer and get this opportunity!
Even so, he knew that this opportunity was not secure. If he wrote a few articles poorly or offended Lin Tian, he would have to return to China to continue his studies in no time.
Therefore, he had been preparing for tonight's opening match for a long time, as it was his first interview and first article since arriving in the United States!
So, after the interview, Yang Yi rushed back to his rented apartment and started revising the manuscript overnight!
"Lin Tian jokingly says Ewing is only one-sixth as good as last year, but he has already integrated into the NBA's top star circle!"
19 points and 16 assists in a single game: Is the future league's best point guard already emerging?
Besides 16 assists, Lin Tian also had 5 blocks! Could his goal be the league's leading shot blocker?
"Sophomore Lin Tian has set his sights extremely high, openly expressing his desire to be selected for the All-Star team and the All-NBA Team!"
The Next Magician or the Smiling Assassin? Lin Tian Perhaps Just Wants to Be the First Version of Him!
Lin Tian's impressive assists drew cheers from the audience, making his All-Star selection a real possibility; three key reasons contributed to his success!
Want to make the All-Star team? These 7 backcourt players are formidable opponents for Lin Tian, and the strongest of them is already a teammate!
……
In just one night, Yang Yi wrote seven or eight articles and sent them to Su Qun via email. Then, he lay down on the bed and slept soundly.
Yang Yi believed that his articles would definitely cause another sales frenzy for Basketball Pioneer, completely crushing all other sports newspapers of the same period!
After defeating the Knicks, the Bulls will have three more home games before embarking on their first road trip of the season!
Since it was the beginning of the season, the league was not in a hurry to have teams fly back and forth between the East and West. Therefore, in the first week of the season, even when visiting teams came to Chicago, the teams that were closest to them would arrive first.
The Bulls' next three games will all be against their own divisional opponents: the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons, and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Of these three teams, only the Pistons have playoff potential. The Cavaliers and Bucks are both mid-to-lower tier teams in the league. The Bulls also won without much difficulty, defeating all three opponents in three consecutive games. In the first week of the season, they easily secured four consecutive wins!
With this four-game winning streak, the Bulls naturally took the top spot in the league. Although the Jazz, Heat, and Rockets also maintained a perfect record in the first week, their point differentials were far less impressive than the Bulls'.
Therefore, both the league's power rankings for the first week and the league's Player of the Week for the first week were won by the Bulls and Jordan!
Jordan was on fire in his first week, averaging 33 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, with a field goal percentage as high as 55%! The reason why Jordan's scoring was so impressive in both quality and quantity was that his playing style underwent some changes.
Firstly, he almost never initiated high-post drives in the first four games of the season. He has almost completely abandoned high-post drives, a signature move from his younger days and the most popular style of play on the perimeter in the league today.
Jordan unleashed his offensive firepower in the low post, midfield, and wings, and he also significantly reduced his forced isolation plays after securing position in the low post.
Jordan used more of the following techniques: a catch-and-shoot jumper after a baseline run and a screen; a quick stop-and-shoot after dribbling one or two dribbles; a layup after receiving the ball and driving down to the basket; and easy layups and dunks during fast breaks.
Or to put it more simply: Jordan temporarily put away those relatively inefficient, difficult, and physically demanding offensive methods. In the first week of the season, he used a very effortless and comfortable style of play! He turned himself into a pure finisher. While this improved his efficiency, it also caused Jordan's assist numbers to drop significantly.
But clearly, Jordan didn't care about 1-2 assists per game. He wasn't Stockton, who relied on such a low number of assists to survive in the league.
For the other teams in the league, no one expected that at this stage of his career, Jordan would be able to change his playing style and tactics so efficiently and concisely!
Whether fans can accept it or not, Jordan has indeed become increasingly reliant on jump shots and post-up moves since his comeback. He has hidden away his abilities, which require a lot of stamina and physical fitness, such as drives, dunks, layups, and high-post power plays. He won't use them unless absolutely necessary.
But the simplified and efficient Jordan was clearly even more terrifying than before!
Because the current Jordan gives people a feeling of effortless mastery and profound simplicity. Anyone who watched the Bulls' first four games this season would definitely have this thought—
That means Jordan didn't exert any effort at all!
Then, when those analysts and coaches wanted to go further and find out why Jordan could play so easily and effortlessly, they discovered Lin Tian!
Yes, it was precisely because of Lin Tian's presence that Jordan was able to play so easily!
Lin Tian's ball feeding in half-court offense was always very timely, allowing Jordan to get the ball the moment after a screen and before the opponent could catch up.
Not to mention the unparalleled strategic vision and field of view that Lin Tian displayed during fast breaks, as well as the passes that drove all fans crazy and made all coaches curse.
In the first four games of the season, Lin Tian averaged 14.5 points and 12.2 assists. His assist numbers were second only to Stockton's 13 assists, ranking second in the league!
Of course, in terms of assist-to-turnover ratio, Lin Tian can't compare to a veteran like Stockton. Stockton averages 13 assists and only 3 turnovers per game, not even making it into the top ten of the league's turnover list.
As for Lin Tian, he averages a whopping 4.5 turnovers per game, firmly holding the top spot in the league!
His overly artistic and visually appealing passing style would make all the old-school coaches in the league shake their heads and curse, wishing they could keep him on the bench forever and never let him play again!
Regardless, Lin Tian's playmaking and exquisite passing did indeed ignite the fan community, making the Bulls' offense incredibly smooth, allowing them to unleash the league's best offensive firepower, enabling Jordan to play at a very high efficiency, and making every game a very easy win for the Bulls.
Compared to all of this, Lin Tian's average of 4.5 turnovers per game seems really insignificant!
After watching all four of the Bulls' games this season, many coaches and analysts in the league, despite having different styles, basketball philosophies and coaching methods, and without communicating with each other to ask for their opinions on the Bulls, all of them came to the same conclusion.
That is to say: Will Jordan, who will turn 34 in four months, finally find his best and most perfect partner at this stage of his career...?
(End of this chapter)